U.S. News Ranks PBA 31st in Online Bachelor's Programs

The rankings are based on factors such as graduation rates, indebtedness of new graduates, and academic and career support services offered to students.

“Palm Beach Atlantic University’s long-standing commitment to offering the very best in Christian higher education both on ground and online is validated by this auspicious ranking by U.S. News,” University President William M.B. Fleming Jr. said. “To be one of only three Florida universities listed in the top 50 online bachelor’s degree programs is a tremendous achievement for PBA and our Office of Online Learning.”

U.S. News evaluated 237 online bachelor's degree programs, as well as online master’s degree programs in business, education, nursing, engineering and computer information technology, or CIT, according to usnews.com.

Only degree-granting programs offering courses that are 100 percent online were considered for the rankings, according to the web site. These programs were assigned an overall numerical rank based on the following factors: student engagement, faculty credentials and training, and students services and technology.

The web site notes that PBA has been offering online bachelor’s degree programs since 2004-2005. “All online classes are teacher-led and include both synchronous and asynchronous interactivity and communication,” said Patricia Bassett, director of online learning at PBA. She emphasized that “quality, instructionally designed content created for meaningful engagement and a positive learning experience is the foundation of every distance education offering.”

The University is preparing to launch two new online programs in the fall: a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in leadership. “These in addition to current offerings and several individual classes being designed for Web delivery will significantly increase the number of distance education courses available and provide PBA students with a viable alternative to traditionally scheduled classes,” Bassett said.